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Ann Widdecombe attacked nearly 24 hours before she was found dead, police say
In an updated statement, Devon and Cornwall police said that Ann Widdecombe was attacked nearly 24 hours before she was found dead. The force’s assistant chief constable, Matt Longman, said:
Officers were called to Miss Widdecombe’s home at Haytor by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday 9 July.
Sadly, 78-year-old Miss Widdecombe was located deceased within the property. She had sustained serious injuries…
We believe the attack took place on Wednesday 8 July at around 12.30pm.
Our enquiries are moving at pace for a suspect who is believed to be a white male.
A cordon remains in place at the property while specialist officers continue forensic examinations. There are road closures in place around the scene.
The public will see a significant police presence in the area while detectives and officers conduct house-to-house and CCTV enquiries.
Key events
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been pictured laying flowers at Dartmoor national park, near the home of Ann Widdecombe, who joined the Brexit party – which later became Reform UK – in 2019. You can read Farage’s tribute to his former colleague in our opening post.
Geraldine McKelvie
A former Conservative minister who later became a member of Reform UK, Ann Widdecombe made her last television appearance on TalkTV shortly after 8am on Wednesday.
She praised Nigel Farage’s decision to trigger a byelection in his Clacton constituency as “the sort of decision taking that is needed in the leader of the country”.
ITV News reported that Widdecombe had then spoken to a researcher from Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show before an interview scheduled for 1pm.
Widdecombe’s last message to the staff member is reported to have been sent at 12.19pm. At 12.48pm, the researcher contacted Widdecombe to request that she join a Zoom link for the show but received no response.
Channel 5 executives are understood to have contacted Widdecombe’s agent after follow-up messages and calls went unanswered. Producers were understood to be concerned, because it was uncharacteristic of Widdecombe, a regular panellist, not to respond.
Ann Widdecombe’s personal driver said the former Conservative minister had “never mentioned any fear” for her safety.
Speaking to reporters after placing flowers outside her house in Haytor, Peter Horrell, who had worked for Widdecombe for 10 years, said the news of her death was “very sad”.
Horrell described Widdecombe as a “great lady” who was “very comical” and “down to earth”.
He said he last worked with her when he drove her to Yeovil in Somerset, adding that she “always looked after me” and “made sure I had something to eat”.
Asked whether she had ever expressed any concern for her safety, he said: “Not really, she seemed quite happy living up here by herself. You never expect it, do you? Well I certainly didn’t. You know, very sad.”
Horrell said Widdecombe “loved” living in the area, adding:
She loved walking up on the moors and, as you know, she got a swimming pool at the back. So if she come back late or late-ish she’d always have the brandy and go for a swim.
She was a great lady, very kind. You know, she was absolutely a privilege to take in the car, and she was funny at times.
He added:
I like her because if you asked her a question, you’d get a direct answer. There was no mucking about. She was brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Devon and Cornwall police have reiterated their call for people not to post speculation about the investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe online.
The force’s assistant chief constable, Matt Longman, said: “We will release further information when we are able to do so. In the meantime, I would ask people not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly on social media.
“This is not only potentially harmful to our investigation but also deeply distressing for family and friends of Miss Widdecombe. The family have also asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what has happened.”
Longman said the force had set up a major incident portal on its website, where members of the public could submit any information they had about the alleged killing.
“I would appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident, however insignificant it may seem, to come forward and speak with us,” he said.
Ann Widdecombe attacked nearly 24 hours before she was found dead, police say
In an updated statement, Devon and Cornwall police said that Ann Widdecombe was attacked nearly 24 hours before she was found dead. The force’s assistant chief constable, Matt Longman, said:
Officers were called to Miss Widdecombe’s home at Haytor by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday 9 July.
Sadly, 78-year-old Miss Widdecombe was located deceased within the property. She had sustained serious injuries…
We believe the attack took place on Wednesday 8 July at around 12.30pm.
Our enquiries are moving at pace for a suspect who is believed to be a white male.
A cordon remains in place at the property while specialist officers continue forensic examinations. There are road closures in place around the scene.
The public will see a significant police presence in the area while detectives and officers conduct house-to-house and CCTV enquiries.
Forensics officers arrive at Ann Widdecombe’s home as investigation continues
Forensic officers have been pictured at Ann Widdecombe’s home in Haytor and have been searching near the property.
According to Sky News, police have also been working in Newton Abbot, a market town less than 10 miles from Widdecombe’s home.
It is the town where a 26-year-old white British male had been arrested on Friday afternoon on suspicion of Widdecombe’s alleged murder.
This morning, Devon and Cornwall police said this man had been released from custody and was no longer part of the investigation, which is continuing.
Flowers have been laid outside Ann Widdecombe’s home in Haytor, Devon, as neighbours continue to pay tribute to the former Conservative minister who seemed to be well known and liked in the local area.
Alison and Simon Gilbert, who have lived in in Haytor Vale for over a decade, said Ann Widdecombe was a well-known figure locally. Ms Gilbert told PA media:
She was a nice woman, really nice woman, and she had a great sense of humour. It’s a lovely area – you talk to strangers.
Everyone saw her as quite an opinionated politician, but to us she was just a person in the community.
One woman living in Haytor Vale, who wishes to remain anonymous, told PA media:
I never met (Ann Widdecombe) although I’ve lived here all my life.
It’s tragic, someone gives all their life to public service and then they end like that.
(Haytor) is a safe area. Every couple of years or so, somebody goes around the garden sheds and nicks all the expensive gardening equipment. That’s as far as it goes really.
We’ve never had anything close (to this) in all my years.
Journalists from PA media have been talking to Haytor residents following the news of Ann Widdecombe’s death.
Christine Maloney, who lives near Widdecombe’s home, said the area is “very safe” – so much so that it is normal for locals to leave their cars and front doors unlocked.
She said:
My husband saw her a week ago, driving around. I’m very shocked at (her death), it shouldn’t have happened, it’s horrific.
Everyone knows that’s her house, perhaps that’s the problem? It’s very, very safe around here.
I leave my car open, I leave my front door open – not now.
There is reportedly still a large police presence in the village of Haytor, where Ann Widdecombe lived, while the police investigation continues and evidence is gathered. Here are some of the latest images taken near the scene:
Here is an extract from Ann Widdecombe’s obituary written by my colleague Stephen Bates:
Those who appeared with her in broadcasts were sometimes taken aback by the nervousness and shyness masked by her stridently expressed views.
She was opposed to abortion and liberalisation of LGBTQ+ rights, both prompted by her religious views, was Eurosceptic – eventually campaigning for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party and being expelled from the Conservatives in 2019 – was a climate change sceptic and supported the reintroduction of the death penalty. Her most notable breach of rightwing orthodoxy was her resolute opposition to fox hunting.
In 1990, following the election of John Major as party leader and prime minister, Widdecombe was made a junior minister in the Department of Social Security, dealing with benefits. Three years later she was moved to Employment and in 1995 became prisons minister at the Home Office under Michael Howard, the then home secretary.
As prisons minister she came under attack when it was suggested that female prisoners might be handcuffed during childbirth. This was not the case – the existing policy was that the women would be handcuffed on the way to hospital, but not during labour.
Ann Widdecombe profile: socially conservative politician who embraced TV fame
Esther Addley
Ann Widdecombe had stepped down from Westminster in 2010 at the age of 62, after 23 years as an MP, seven of them as an uncompromising and often divisive junior minister under John Major.
But having been passed over for a peerage, she had no interest in a quiet retirement. Widdecombe may have been a devout Catholic with hardline views on morality and law and order, but she did not take herself overly seriously.
Her extraordinary appearances on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 – during which she was likened by the judges to the Ark Royal, a Dalek in drag, Vera Duckworth’s grandmother, haemorrhoids and a lame canary – won her a new and unexpected fanbase.
She had signed up for the programme months after leaving parliament because, she later said: “I’m having fun … I’m retired, remember? Retired? And I’m having huge fun.”
There were plenty of other media appearances, including as an agony aunt on Celebrity Fit Club (after briefly writing an agony column for the Guardian), two turns hosting Have I Got News For You, and cameo appearances on Sooty and Doctor Who. But for all her entertaining gameness and very British eccentricity, Widdecombe remained unyielding in her personal morality. An appearance in 2018 on Celebrity Big Brother saw Widdecombe accused of victim-blaming when a discussion turned to the victims of Harvey Weinstein. “It’s down to them, they had a choice,” said Widdecombe.
Throughout her life she remained staunchly opposed to abortion and resisted any move to liberalise LGBTQ+ rights – she was highly critical of gay marriage, voiced support for “gay cure” conversion therapists and opposed same-sex couples on Strictly, saying of boxer Nicola Adams’s pairing with a female dancer: “I don’t think it is what viewers of Strictly, especially families, are looking for.” You can read more of this profile here:
On Friday, political leaders across the spectrum expressed shock and horror at the alleged killing. Keir Starmer said it was important to “rise above any political differences” and focus on helping the police investigation.
The prime minister said:
This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time for them.
Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “stunned” to hear about the murder inquiry, adding that her party was “reeling” from the news. “To be honest, I’ve really struggled to find the words to say,” she told reporters.
Andy Burnham, the MP for Makerfield, described the news as “terrible” and said his thoughts were with her friends and family. Burnham, who is widely expected to become prime minister later this month, praised Widdecombe for bringing “conviction, wit and personality to public life over many years”.
Writing on social media, the Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, said his thoughts and prayers are with her family, describing Widdecombe as a “woman of deep faith who devoted her life to public service”.
Channel 5 News Presenter Dan Walker has posted on social media confirming that Ann Widdecombe had been due to appear on Channel 5 on Wednesday afternoon. Walker, who described the news of Widdecombe’s death as “really sad”, posted on X yesterday:
Ann was due to appear on 5 Daytime on Wednesday afternoon but stopped responding to messages and didn’t turn up for the show. The team contacted her agent to ask them to check in on her. This information has been passed to police as it’s part of the investigation.
As we mentioned in the opening post, Widdecombe, who appeared on TalkTV on Wednesday, lived in Haytor Vale, a village within the Dartmoor national park, in a 1970s bungalow named Widdecombe’s Rest.
A plaque with the name of the property was positioned at the end of her drive.
Widdecombe, 78, was due to be a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show on Wednesday afternoon, but did not appear, as first reported by ITV News.
She had exchanged messages with a researcher from the show, but did not respond when they tried to contact her to join a Zoom call from home.
Calls and texts sent after the programme aired remained unanswered, ITV News said, and the Channel 5 show’s team followed up with her agent later on Wednesday and on Thursday.
Man arrested on suspicion of Ann Widdecombe’s murder is released
A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering the former MP Ann Widdecombe has been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, Devon and Cornwall police said early on Saturday.
In a statement, the force’s assistant chief constable, Matt Longman, said: “Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.
“Detectives continue to carry out numerous inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
He said the investigation was “moving at a significant pace”. Police previously said there were no indications it was a “politically motivated crime” and have confirmed the incident was not being treated as terror-related.
On Friday, police said they were seeking a white male in connection with the death and later confirmed a 26-year-old white British national had been arrested at an address in Newton Abbot, less than 10 miles from Widdecombe’s home in Haytor, Devon.
Widdecombe’s body was found with “serious injuries” by the ambulance service at her home at 11.40am on Thursday.
She was a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone. She became a member of the Brexit party in 2019 and served as an MEP, representing South West England, between 2019 and 2020. She was also a member of that party’s successor, Reform UK.
Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage said Widdecombe’s alleged murder showed that life for politicians in Britain had become even more dangerous. He said:
Our nation is a much, much poorer place without her. Reform UK is certainly a much worse place without her. I was expecting to see her in Clacton over the course of the next few days. Sadly, that is not going to happen.
Rest in peace, Ann. A remarkable, principled woman, and a truly dreadful way to die, and a terrible reflection on modern Britain.
And I do fear that for anybody in public life, or especially the political space, things have become even more dangerous.
